What is the ideal terrain for a horizontal single-axis tracker?
1.Flat and open
The site should be as flat as possible. The drive shafts of tracking systems are very long and require an extremely high level of foundation flatness. Slight terrain undulations can cause uneven load distribution on the drive motors, increasing the risk of malfunctions and even causing system jams.
2.Optimal orientation and uniform slope
In the Northern Hemisphere, the ideal terrain is a gentle south-facing slope. Since the rotation axis of horizontal single-axis trackers is generally oriented north-south, with the solar panels rotating east to west, a south-facing slope inherently receives better sunlight exposure. In the Southern Hemisphere, the opposite applies—the ideal terrain is a gentle north-facing slope.
To sum up , Ideal terrain: A vast, flat, unobstructed, geologically stable, and regularly shaped gentle south-facing slope (in the Northern Hemisphere). In the Southern Hemisphere, it would be a gentle north-facing slope.
What are the ideal layout principles?
How to arrange these tracking system arrays on a given site is crucial for maximizing power generation and minimizing costs.
Rotation axis direction (main axis direction)
The rotation axis should be oriented north-south (meaning the supports are arranged along the north-south direction, with the panels rotating east to west). This is the most widely used and power generation-efficient layout globally, perfectly tracking the sun's movement from east to west.
Therefore, the Ideal layout: North-south oriented rotation axis, precisely calculated ultra-wide spacing, uniformly arranged arrays, and string and drive designs perfectly integrated with the terrain and wind conditions.
Figure 1, Ideal Terrain and Layout
Figure 2, Ideal Terrain and Layout
The design of TCU (Tracker Control Unit or Tracker Controller), including backtracking algorithms, is mostly developed based on ideal terrain and layout conditions. However, in reality, completely ideal terrain and layouts are rare. In project implementation, significant trade-offs are often required, especially in mountainous regions where suitable terrain is scarce. So, what can be done in such cases? Leveraging years of experience and customer feedback, GF New Energy engineers have optimized their algorithms to ultimately achieve precise tracking and backtracking for solar trackers, even on complex mountainous terrain and with non-ideal north-south axis orientations.
The following image shows an actual project case:
Pic 1 The rotation axis has a 10-degree deviation from the true south direction
Pic 2 The perfect shadow cast on the ground demonstrates the precision of the tracking
Pic 3 The terrain slopes in all directions (east, west, south, and north), yet the shadows are cast perfectly on the ground without interfering with adjacent rows
For more information on how to use the GF solar tracker controller, please contact us at info@gfnewenergy.com.
